PHYLLIS JEAN LORMAN

1923 - 2021

PHYLLIS JEAN LORMAN, 97, passed away on Wednesday, April 14, 2021, in Charlottesville, Va. The only child of Alice and Lester Webb, Phyllis was born in Indianapolis, Ind., on Sept. 15, 1923. Her happy early childhood in central Indiana and southern Illinois changed at age 11 with the death of her mother, and she went to live with her aunt in Indianapolis. Although this was a difficult time for her, she learned to make the best of the situation and developed those qualities that helped her throughout her life: independence, strong will, generosity, ability to make and keep friends, service to others, and love for her extended family. Through several moves and the death of her husband, and even as old age took its toll in recent years, Phyllis' good nature and positive outlook shined through. It was the fervent wish of her father that Phyllis graduated from college, and she was the first in her family to do so. She met her future husband, James G. Lorman, on her first day at Indiana University. Three months later on Dec. 7, 1941, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Jim was soon inducted into the Army and entered an accelerated medical school program, from which he graduated on the same day as Phyllis's graduation. They married four days later on Dec. 22, 1944. The early years of their marriage were marked by the shortages and inconveniences of the war, and then by Jim's deployment as an Army Physician in Korea and Japan for 17 months. When he returned, Phyllis, a friend and two of her aunts drove across the country from Indiana to meet his ship in San Francisco. Phyllis has said that reunion was without doubt the happiest day of her life. The subsequent decades, spent mostly in Fort Wayne, Ind., and Lexington, Ky., were filled with family, friends, volunteer work, church and extensive worldwide travel. She was an active member of First Presbyterian Church in Fort Wayne for many years. Phyllis earned a Real Estate license at age 50, and practiced for over a decade. Her volunteer work included over 50 years as a team leader with Meals on Wheels. She was an avid reader and devoted to her daily crossword puzzle and long brisk walk. She is survived by her three children, Pam (Ben) Peternell, Cyndy (David) Martin and James (Anne Forbes) Lorman; five grandchildren, Andrew (Jamie) Peternell, Amy (Drew) Cummings, Mark (Sara) Peternell, Jeff (Aggie) Martin, and Robin (Carl Swanson) Forbes-Lorman); and 11 great-grandchildren. "Meemaw" will be greatly missed by all of us. She was preceded in death by her husband in 1991. Phyllis will be interred at the First Presbyterian Church in Fort Wayne; her life will be celebrated by the family at a later time. Charitable gifts in Phyllis' name can be made to the James G. Lorman Scholarship Fund, UK Office of Philanthropy, Sturgill Philanthropy Building, Lexington, KY 40506-0015.